Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Honeybee Auditions Just Around the Corner

With the countdown to Honeybees auditions at 30 days (the first round of tryouts takes place Sunday, July 15 at New Orleans Arena, let’s find out more about the annual event from Honeybees manager and choreographer, Ashley Deaton.

On the first day of auditions, the field of candidates will be cut to approximately 40 to 50 finalists. During the weekend of July 21-22, the Hornets will hold the competition finals. Here are six things to know about Honeybees auditions (comments are from Deaton):

1) It’s not only about appearance…“An ideal Honeybee is more than just a cute girl with rhythm. We look for well-rounded girls, because not only are they dancers and cheerleaders, they’re also athletes, models, role models for young girls, and spokeswomen for the organization. It is important that they represent the Hornets well on the court, in the public eye, and in the media.”

2) … but conditioning is critical.“We’re looking for cute, energetic dancers who take care of their bodies and wear the costume well. Being outgoing and energetic is extremely important, but they must also be mature, responsible and very dedicated.”

3) If you make the team, you better love bee-ing a Honeybee…“They need to be hard workers because our schedule is very demanding, with games, rehearsals, appearances and photo shoots. This job is so rewarding, but it doesn’t come easily. The girls work hard and truly deserve the praise and recognition that they receive. The NBA season is very long, but having a passion for dance and performing is motivation to keep enthusiasm high.”

4) … but Honeybees isn’t a full-time job.Honeybees are paid per game plus compensation for practices and public appearances, but they don’t do it for the money.“All of the girls on the team are full-time students or have full-time jobs. This isn’t their only means of income or the only thing they are involved in. They do it because they love it. It’s fun and rewarding, but it’s also very time-consuming. An average week will require the girls to dedicate about 3-4 nights to their duties as a Honeybee. But on a busy game week, it could be as many as six or even seven nights.”

5) If you’re shy, you may not want to apply…“The way to stand out during tryouts is to have energy and be fun to watch. Don’t be shy. We always have a big variety of dance backgrounds on the team. I wouldn’t say that technical ability is the most important element on this type of team, but it definitely helps.

“The environment surrounding a Hornets game is high energy and fast-paced, and it’s the dancers’ job to reflect the same. At tryouts the judges take that into consideration. If you’re competing with 300 other girls and you don’t look like you’re having fun, you’re not going to stand out. Energy and showmanship are going to take you far.”

6) … but if you do, be ready for a few curves…“During the last round, we interview the finalists individually. They come to the interview in business attire so that we can see how they carry themselves in a professional situation. We’ll ask general questions about things like future goals and dance training to help us get to know them a little better. We’ll also throw in a couple curveballs with hypothetical situations that they might encounter as a Honeybee to test their maturity and professionalism.”